[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 86 (Friday, June 30, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        1999 FLEOA HEROISM AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 29, 2000

  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, in July, in Pleasanton, Texas, the 
Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, along with family, 
friends and members of the community, gather together to present nine 
individuals, three of whom died in the line of duty, with the 1999 
FLEOA Heroism award. The ceremony will memorialize the ultimate 
sacrifice of those three local Atascosa County lawmen who were 
tragically killed last October as well as the brave acts of the other 
officers and civilians. These individuals will be honored for their 
outstanding courage and bravery in answering the call to duty.
  The FLEOA Awards Program is intended to honor its fellow peers not 
only from across the nation but also from Canada, Mexico, Thailand, 
Bahamas and Columbia. The following individuals have been selected as 
recipients of the 1999 Heroism Award, the first three of which are to 
be awarded posthumously:

     Police Officer Thomas Monse--Atascosa County Police
     Officer Mark Stephenson--Atascosa County
     State Trooper Terry Miller--Texas Department of Public Safety
     Police Officer Louis Tudyk--Pleasanton, Texas
     Supervisory Deputy David Sligh--San Antonio, Texas
     Carl Fisher--Court Security Officer--INS Retired--Pleasanton, 
         Texas
     Wendell Munson--Atascosa County
     Archie Pena--Retired Police Officer--Atascosa County
     Oscar De La Cruz--Pleasanton, Texas

  Many national and international nominations for the awards were 
received. Seven of the awards were given to those officers and 
civilians who were involved in the sad event that took place on October 
12, 1999, in Pleasanton. On that day, three brave officers of the law 
sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Atascosa Sheriff's deputies 
Thomas Monse and Mark Stephenson, along with Texas state trooper Terry 
Miller, were all gunned down in an ambush by a lone gunman. Two others, 
City of Pleasanton Police Officer Louis Tudyk, and a retired U.S. 
Immigration and Naturalization Service agent, Carl Fisher, were also 
wounded during the ensuing gunfight.
  Carl Fisher, along with Archie Pena, a retired local Police Officer, 
and Wendell Munson, a 56-year-old cattle rancher, earned their Heroism 
Awards by rising to the occasion and risking life and limb to come to 
the aid of the fallen police officers. None of them was obligated to do 
so, yet they decided to make it their duty. The tragic incident served 
as a grave reminder of the risks that law enforcement officers face 
every day in guarding the peace of our communities.
  This tribute extends to include officers of all stripes for the hard 
work and sacrifices they make throughout the country. Far too often 
their presence is taken for granted and the risks that they take for 
our security are not fully comprehended. I hope that this award can 
serve as a symbol of our gratitude for all law enforcement officers who 
fulfill a much-needed task.

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